Religion
A religion is an organized collection of beliefs that relate the intelligent denizens of Hyrule and other worlds to the purpose of their existence. Most intelligent people of Hyrule worship their own gods or system of beliefs, and are often derogatorily referred to as "Lesser Deity Worshipers" by the dominant organized religion of the world, the cult of the Golden Goddesses. Many races worship more powerful entities such as a Druthulidi or the Golden Goddesses, venerating them as "deities" beyond their mortal limitations and understanding. Major Organized Religions Goddess Worship and Patron Deity Worship Church of the Golden Goddesses The church of the Golden Goddesses - Din, Nayru and Farore - is by far the most popular religion in Hyrule. Its adherents can be found amongst numerous races, most notably the Hylians, whose laws mandate all must worship the Goddesses, which has brought them into conflict with many other races like the Moblins. Goddess worshipers can also be found amongst the Ordonians, the Wizzrobe, the Gerudo, the Gorons, the Zora, the Kokiri, the Huskus, the Sheikah and the Oocca (also the Ikanians for their fall). The practice of Goddess worship varies between races. The Hylians revere all the three of the Goddesses equally while others tend to favor a specific Goddess over the others. The Kokiri and the Huskus predominantly worship Farore, while amongst other races the veneration of the First Sages, specifically Maphaeus, Malkorbagia, Evaleen and Kovaloo, is commonplace. The Kingdom of Hyrule follows a particularly fanatical doctrine known as Strict Goddess Worship, which is primarily characterized by its strict adherence to the Doctrine of the Goddesses, an article of regulations drafted by the Sages of Hyrule. Due to this, the kingdom has largely avoided religious schisms during its long history. Advent of Hylia The heretical cult of the Goddess Hylia arose circa 4960 BG in the Kingdom of Hyrule when she held hordes of invading Moblins at bay. During this time, the Hylians began to revere and eventually worship her, and it was not uncommon to hear the name Hylia praised above even the Golden Goddesses. After the disappearance of Hylia in 4955 BG, her loyal followers romanticized and glorified it as a self sacrifice needed to destroy Demise; however, in reality Hylia had asked for asylum amongst the Wizzrobe, who willingly granted it. As a part of this accord, Hylia provided the Wizzrobe with much of their magical abilities and, in return, they worked to slowly erase all trace of her from history, leaving the the cult of Hylia gradually die out. It has since seen a resurgence since the end of the First Golden Age, when Hylia began to take on a more active role in Hylian politics, though none of her ignorant Hylian acolytes truly know the true nature of their new mistress. Lesser Deity Worship Bellum Worship The bestial Druthulidi Bellum, prior to its arrival on Hyrule, had conquered many other worlds and enslaved their races to its will. Its oldest and most loyal and oldest servants are the various aquatic races that comprise the Empire of Bellum, the most notable minions of which are the Parella overlords. Another favored race of Bellum is the River Zora, who became followers as a result of one of its previous conquests. The River Zora serve as the military branch of Bellum's followers. Bellum also employs lesser creatures to do its bidding, though the Parella and River Zora are its favorites. It should be noted that Bellum's past followers included the Zora Dominion, who, for some unknown reason, betrayed their dark god and began worshiping Nayru, something that has earned them the eternal hatred of their loyal cousins, the River Zora. Demise Worship In 4955 BG, Demise, another survivor of the ancient Druthulidi conflicts, awoke from his slumber and came upon the Moblins. Respecting and fearing his power, the Moblins easily started to worship and serve Demise. After expanding their empire and amassing an army, Demise began a campaign of conquest against the Ancient Hylians and enjoyed considerable success. His forces were only held at bay after the Ancient Hylians created the Goddess Hylia to oppose him. After several years of stalemate and heavy losses on both sides of the conflict, Hylia eventually set out to commit genocide against the Moblins and kill all of Demise's worshipers once and for all. Demise immediately respected Hylia's show of superior strength and withdrew from Hyrule after his defeat. With their lush farms and cities destroyed, the surviving Moblins began to starve and fell into woe. Faith in Demise diminished until it was resurrected by King Ganon, Demise's protégé, five millennia afterwards. Odolwa Worship Odolwa is a being of unknown origin worshiped by the Deku Scrubs as their God of the Hunt. Lanayru Worship Pantheon of Gods Lizalfos Pantheon The Lizalfos of Faron Woods worship a pantheon of five deities: Dynalkulshut, the deity of blood; Volvagia, the deity of war; Garnyle Og, the deity of the hunt; Jeakrock, the deity of beasts; and Trinexx, the deity of natural disasters. Lizalfos warriors come to pray, offer sacrifices and practice their skill against other warriors in front of their gods' idols. Subrosian Pantheon Storm Zora Pantheon Idolatry Darknut Code In the past, the Darknut civilization almost fell apart through civil warfare, and conflicts with border races such as the Gerudo and the Moblins nearly resulted in the extinction of their race. Facing the end of their people, the warring Darknut leaders decided to put aside their differences and declared that, from that time onwards, every single Darknut would be trained to be a disciplined and unstoppable warrior at adolescence. After devising a rigorous code, the Darknut Legion and its infamous armored warriors were born. From an early age, Darknuts are trained to wear the heaviest armor, wield the largest swords, and maintain the highest level of discipline to preserve their creed. Darknut philosophy places focus on the individual: if one soldier cannot master himself, then it is impossible for him to function effectively in a group. Nature Worship Nature worship is the reverence of the natural world in and of itself, and is practiced by races such as the Fairies of Tarm, Horon, and the Gorons of Rolling Ridge. Will of the Gohma Atheism Not all cultures in Hyrule worship a deity or follow a set of beliefs that relate to their place in the cosmos. Very advanced cultures, such as the Labrynna Regime and the long-dead Lokomo Empire, tend to embrace the power of deductive reasoning and the scientific method to explain the world around them. Other cultures are simply too fractious, violent or alien to have any concept of religion, such as the mindless undead Stalfos or the unliving monstrosities of the Eclipse. Majora Worship Despite its obvious and honest display of insanity, the Druthulidi Majora has managed to attract a large amount of followers throughout the ages. Majora's followers can be found in almost all races of Hyrule, though the only race in which it is followed by a majority of the population is the Ikanians, who renounced the Goddesses and started to worship Majora in 4955 BG due to its machinations. Gameplay Every settlement in the freeform campaign adheres to its native population or faction's religious beliefs. Factions of the same religion that conquer the settlement will experience higher public order and faster assimilation, while those of a different religion, particularly an opposing religion (such as Strict Goddess Worship faction taking over a Majora Worship settlement) will face lower public order and a greater chance of an uprising from religious strife. Ensuring the spread of your faction's religion through both your own territory and your enemies' with Priests and religious buildings is vital to managing public order.